


Hidden Past with Scorned Exs

by Quinis



Category: Chuck - Fandom, White Collar
Genre: Elizabeth is Kidnapped, Neal is Bryce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-10 05:45:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2013300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keller has Elizabeth but his plans don't stop there. He has a score to settle with Neal and the perfect leverage to use.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Why? This was only supposed to be a one-shot! But, then it just grew and grew and well, now it's multi-chaptered...
> 
> Anyway, I think you can guess which White Collar episode this one works off. There's a few familiar faces from Chuck too.

**Hidden Past with Scorned Exs**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

_"He took my wife._

_"Take me to the treasure."_

* * *

El had been kidnapped, in part, because of him. That stung. Neal's mouth was dry and his head hurt. Even though Mozzie taught him to mediate, nothing helped to stop the jumble that was his thoughts.

Mozzie. Thinking of his other friend hurt just as much. Once again, he had given up a close friendship but, this time it had been for selfish reasons. Look at where that had gotten him.

El kidnapped, Peter enraged, the rest of the FBI pretending he didn't exist and no treasure.

_No treasure._

Neal's head jolted back to the present at the sight of the large, grey and empty warehouse. The light was dim and the treasure was gone.

"Peter, it was here, I swear," he said, not even caring that his voice rang with his upset emotions. "He must have moved it."

"'He' being Mozzie?" Peter guessed. Neal's response was to nod and run his hands through his hair as he paced in a tight oval. He glanced up at the web-cam and wondered if Mozzie was watching them now.

Did he think that Neal had betrayed him by bringing the Suit here? Neal shook his head. There wasn't any other option, they had to save Elizabeth.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked as he raised his hand to the camera.

"Warning Moz," he explained as he used his hand to sign letters of the one-handed alphabet into the camera:

K-E-L-L-E-R H-A-S E-L-I-Z-A-B-E-T-H

Peter glanced up and spotted the camera, nodding to Neal as he signed.

"So, all it took was your wife in danger for you to pull your dog into heel," Keller commented to Peter as he walked through the door. Neal reached out an arm to stop Peter from surging forward.

"Keller," Neal greeted in a cold tone, "where's Elizabeth?"

"Straight to the point," Keller commented, "that's what I like about you, Caffrey. Or should I say, Larkin?"

With that single word, Neal's heart stopped.

"What?" Peter questioned.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Keller questioned with a smirk. "Bryce Larkin," he pronounced the name in a deliberate manner which caused Neal's heart to jolt. He didn't know how but, somehow, Keller  _knew_. And he wasn't done yet. "It's his real name. Well, as real as someone who's used to changing identities in a flash could have."

Keller gave Neal a sidelong glance which brought a snap of anger through Neal.

"How do you know that?" he demanded to know, almost growling.

"It was quite simple, Bryce," Keller said, as if they were friends and as if he hadn't just revealed Neal's deepest secret, "and if you can't get the treasure, I'm sure we can make other... arrangements."

"What's that?" Peter asked, stepping in front of Neal. He didn't understand why Neal was having such a strong reaction to this name but he could sense that it wasn't good. Keller was holding something over Neal's head and Peter wasn't going to let him; not until he got Elizabeth back.

"I want to make a deal with Larkin's employers," Keller responded, "I have information they'd be interested in but, we'll get to that if you can't find the treasure. Tick, tock, Burkey, twelve hours left." Keller left and they had to let him go since he still had Elizabeth.

* * *

Neal watched as the FBI agents milled around quickly, trying to locate Elizabeth and Keller. He didn't know what to do. Keller knew who he was. Keller wanted to deal with the CIA. But, Neal didn't want anything to do with that. Keller knew his identity and he had kidnapped Elizabeth, Peter's wife and one of the few people who looked at Neal as saw more than a conman. Those were more than enough reasons for Neal to refuse his deal.

He looked back at the FBI agents and for a moment he felt like he should be out there, trying to find Peter's wife with the rest of the agents.

Agents. Realisation hit Neal and an idea came to mind. He pulled out his phone and took out the earpiece hidden inside the battery case and placed it in his ear. He held his phone to his ear, even though the sounds were being redirected to his earpiece. It rang twice before picking up.

"Carmichael Industries, you want it blasted, we blast it." That was not Chuck's voice and Neal assumed, correctly, that it was Morgan.

"What? Morgan! We don't answer the phone like that! No! No blasting!" There was fumbling on the other end as the phone changed hands. "Sorry about that," Chuck said in a formal tone, "Carmichael Industries, Charles Carmichael here."

Neal couldn't help a small laugh escaping, despite the dire circumstances.

"It's been a long time," he said, the device in his ear picking up his voice and sending it down the line.

"Bryce?" The surprise in Chuck's voice was evident.

As nice as it was to hear his friend's voice, Neal got right down to business.

"A friend of mine has been kidnapped," he explained, "her name is Elizabeth Burke and the kidnapper is Matthew Keller."

There was a pause on the other end before Chuck spoke.

"Keller's bad news," he commented, having flashed on the name, "what'd you do to end up on his radar?"

"I may have acquired, through a friend, a large collection of art and antiquities, worth a lot of money. Keller needs it to pay off a debt to the Russian mob."

"The same Russian mob who...?" Chuck didn't need to finish, they both knew what he was referring too. Bryce had managed to end up on the wrong side of the mob when he infiltrated them to extract an exposed CIA asset.

"That'd be the one."

"Geez, Bryce, you don't do things by half, do you? Have you thought about what'll happen if Keller sells them your identity?"

"It's crossed my mind." And the mob would probably let Keller out of his debt for it. But, Keller was playing a bigger game. "And, right now, I don't care. Elizabeth Burke needs to be found. The FBI is out in full force trying to find her but, we can help."

"'We'?"

"You're the best hacker I know," he praised, "the best spy I know and you're my best friend. Please. I need your help to find El."

"El? You're close?"

"She's a friend. Also," and he dropped his voice for this part as one could never be too careful, "do you know if anyone's in New York?"

"Let me just make this clear, are you asking for help?"

"Something like that. My movements are limited right now." And not only because of the anklet, he wouldn't put it past Keller to place a watch on him in case he went anywhere. "I need a team."

He could hear typing on the other end as Chuck checked.

"You're in luck. Zondra and Carina are in the city. I'll see if they're willing to lend their services."

"Thanks," Neal said, placing his phone back into his pocket. Chuck would make sure the link remained and bring Zondra and Carina in if they were willing.

* * *

"Is that Mozzie?" Peter asked, catching him at the end of the phone call.

"No," Neal sighed, "none of my calls are getting through and the emails I send keep bouncing." He was torn between hoping Mozzie saw the feed and hoping that Mozzie would stay away and safe.

"We can't tell the Bureau about Keller's demands," Peter said, "after last time, they won't deal with him." 'Last time' when Keller kidnapped Peter, an FBI agent.

Neal nodded in agreement.

"Tell me about Bryce Larkin," Peter said. It was the question Neal had been waiting for and the question he didn't want to answer. "And who are these 'employers' Keller wants to deal with?"

There was tense silence as Neal considered the best way to answer the question. There was never a good way to tell someone about being part of the CIA.

Peter took his silence as reluctance to answer the question.

"Keller has El, Neal! Whatever Keller has on you, it'd be better for you to tell me now! What's so special about Bryce Larkin?"

"He's-" Neal's voice trailed off as he turned to glance at the entrance and spotted the improbable.

Mozzie was walking in. His stance was stiff and his hands clenched around the straps of his messenger bag as if it was a lifeline. It was most certainly his bald and bespectacled buddy walking into the 'lions' den'.

"For once, words fail me. They can't possibly convey how sorry I am," Mozzie said to Peter.

"Do you have the treasure?" Peter asked, letting the 'Bryce Larkin' matter drop now they had access to the requested ransom.

"Yes," Mozzie said unhesitatingly however, he hesitated and added, "but, we can't give it Keller! Once he has it, he'll have no reason to keep her alive. Keller won't lose any sleep over killing a Fed's wife."

Peter casts a worried glance outside the conference room, where agents were moving quickly and with purpose in their attempts to find his wife.

"The only guarantee we'll have that my wife is safe is if the FBI finds her," he realised sadly, "but, there might not be enough time. Keller wants the ransom in a few hours."

* * *

Chuck explained the situation to Zondra and Carina and they were both for helping.

"Kidnapping a fed's wife, that's cocky," Carina commented in a smooth voice, "it's even more interesting that you care, Bryce. Sounds like an interesting game you've got going."

"We getting paid for this?" Zondra asked as the cocking of a gun sounded.

"We'll arrange something," Chuck responded.

"Meeting a woman who can resist Bryce's charms would be interesting too," Carina continued.

"She's married," Chuck pointed out, having brought up Elizabeth's file from the FBI.

"So?" Carina purred.

"Remember the mission, would you?" Neal grumbled into his phone, glancing over at Peter and Mozzie who were standing a short distance away. "We might not be able to stall long." He glanced over again and spotted Keller walking towards them. "Here he comes." He placed his phone in his pocket and walked over to stand by Peter and Mozzie. "You picturing yourself shooting Keller right now?" he asked Peter.

"No, I don't want to shoot him. I want to smash in his face repeatedly," Peter responded and Neal gave a whispered nod in agreement.

"I'm currently sticking bamboo under his fingernails," Mozzie added his two cents and Neal was impressed with his creativity.

"You guys talking about me? 'Cause my ears are burning," Keller quipped as he walked up. Peter looked like he was about to enact his fantasy but, Mozzie placed a hand on his arm to restrain him. Keller smirked at the sight and turned to Neal. "So, Larkin, what's it going to be? Treasure or deal?"

"What?" Mozzie questioned, apparently he had missed the information relating to Larkin and the other deal.

"Can't you tell? You can have the treasure but I'm not going to deal with you. Find someone else," Neal responded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hmm, that's nice," Keller commented in a sarcastic manner, "don't you have to check with your bosses first? They say 'jump', you say 'how high', that kind of thing. You're only the middleman, Bryce, and have you forgotten about my insurance?" Keller held up his phone and Neal wondered if he would ever forget about him taking El. "If I don't make a call every half hour, the lovely Mrs. Burke is dead."

"Ugh, this guy is a sleaze," Carina commented through the earpiece, having heard some of the conversation through Neal's phone.

"Don't worry, Bryce," Chuck said, "I've talked to the General and she says that the CIA's not willing to deal with Keller. He's in such hot water with the FBI that any attempt to bargain on our side will destroy any goodwill the FBI has left for us. Keller's not worth that."

Neal thought that was a double-sided blade. Sure, they wouldn't deal which was good because he didn't want to but, if Keller insisted on it and he couldn't then El might be put in more danger.

He hoped they found her soon; FBI, CIA, anyone. As long as she was safe.

"Here's the treasure," Mozzie said, handing Keller a device. On the screen was an image of another warehouse, different to the first one, with the treasure displayed. This was a gamble. A gamble on how much Keller wanted the treasure and whether he would be willing to overlook some delays.

"Mozzie, Mozzie, Mozzie," Keller scolded in his infuriatingly calm tone, "I've already seen a video feed of the treasure, now I want the real thing."

"We'll take you there," Peter said, "just give me my wife."

"That's not how this works," Keller said a bit of anger finding its way into his voice, "I get the treasure and then you get your wife."

"Fine," Neal said quickly, before anyone else could. "We'll take you there. But, then you need to free El."

"I thought you'd see things my way, Larkin."

Neal grit his teeth and imagined all the different ways he could hurt Keller. He wasn't normally a violent man, outside what his job required, but Keller just pushed all the wrong buttons.

They took Keller to where Mozzie had hidden the treasure. Mozzie, Peter and Neal had spent as long as they could unloading the boxes and making so it would be time consuming to box it all up and place it on the truck.

"Not very mobile, is it?" Keller questioned as he took a quick look around. Then he turned to Mozzie. "This isn't like you, Mozzie. I thought you liked it all clean and catalogued."

"It's worth the work," Mozzie responded in a huff.

"And here I thought we were working together," Keller said in a faux-hurt manner, "I mean, you can trust me more than your beagle friend." Keller motioned in Neal's direction as he said the archaic slang for a spy. "Woof, eh Bryce?"

Neal turned away, as if his feelings were hurt but he really was taking a moment to hiss in his phone for Zondra and Carina to hurry up before he did something he would regret.

"You have less than an hour to pack this all up for me," Keller said in a low tone, "and remember, I'll be watching." He waved the device in their faces, the screen showing them standing in the room surrounded by the treasure.


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

* * *

"Well, that completely blew up in our faces," Mozzie complained as he loaded a particularly large painting into a box.

"At least we're buying time," Peter grunted as he lifted a box into the truck. Neal wasn't sure they were. Keller hadn't seemed put off by the delay and he was bringing up 'Bryce Larkin' as much as he could without directly giving the secret away.

Neal wondered if the other man was sore that he never noticed that Neal was more than he seemed. Where had he learnt his real name anyway?

"Neal, you okay?" Peter asked. Neal's expression had gone hard. It was similar to the expressions he saw on long-serving agents when they were confused, frustrated and annoyed with their quarry. He wondered if Neal had been spending too much time around FBI agents and was unconsciously mimicking their expressions.

A least he seemed serious about this. Getting El back was important.

"What did Keller mean by 'Bryce'?" Mozzie asked after Neal responded that he was 'fine'.

"Bryce Larkin," Peter stated. "Keller's certain that the name is Neal's real one."

"Neal's real name?" Mozzie snorted. He didn't believe that.

"Are you going to tell them?" Chuck's voice hummed in Neal's ear. "It's easier when someone knows."

Neal ignored his friend's advice. He didn't need anyone to know. Bryce Larkin was supposed to stay in the past, for his safety and the safety of those around them.

"Heads up, Bryce," Zondra said, "important-looking mobsters heading your way. They look like Russians."

About to pick up another crate, Neal shot up when Zondra mentioned Russians. Russians were bad.

"How do you know?" he shot back, not really caring if Mozzie or Peter heard him. Standing right behind him, Peter had and he eyed his friend with curious eyes.

"They're speaking Russian," Zondra said as if it as obvious.

Neal swore.

"Neal? What's going on?" Peter questioned. He did not need his consultant losing it.

"We are in so much trouble," he responded, looking around. He knew the entrances and exits, but not as well as he would have liked. After all, Mozzie had been the one to pick this place.

"Keller must have decided to sell you out," Carina theorised.

"Moz, Peter, get out of here," Neal said, trying and failing to hide the panic in his voice.

"What?"

"Why?"

"It's a little late for that," a smooth voice said as a group of seven men dressed mostly in black walked into view. The leader was wearing a leather coat and had a gun already in his hand. Neal stood up and faced him, hoping he would be able to talk them out of this one. They hadn't been shot yet so that meant they wanted to gloat. Which was good for him. "I never thought we would see you again."

"I was hoping not to see you again," Neal said, stepping in front of Peter and motioning for Mozzie to get behind him. "Keller tell you where to find me?"

The man nodded and smiled.

"And a treasure which would almost clear his debts," the Russian informed him.

"You know, if I ever meet this 'Keller'..." Chuck left the threat hanging in the air. "Response team is five minutes out."

"Keller told you where to find us, fine," Peter said, taking charge like the FBI agent he was, "you have your treasure, now let us go. And get Keller to release my wife!"

The Russian's finger tightened around the trigger.

"Not going to happen. I don't care about your wife. I care about making an example of those who cross me.

"I'm here for the Fed."

Neal felt his heart drop. These guys were not going to beat around the bush the way Keller did.

"Why is the Russian mob after you?" Mozzie asked Peter.

Peter had a baffled look.

"I don't know! I haven't done anything!"

"Not you. Him." Neal flinched slightly as the barrel of the gun turned to him. Gun handling 101; never point a gun at someone you don't intend to shoot.

"Neal's not a Fed!" Mozzie protested because, sure Neal worked with Feds but that didn't make him one!

Peter looked at Neal and noticed something Mozzie missed; Neal's 'in trouble' face. It was worrying and some kind of realisation tugged at his consciousness but he forced himself to put it aside for now.

"Got a plan?" he asked Neal, raising his hands. He suspected that these men would shoot them regardless of whether they gave themselves up or not and he didn't like that.

"Uh," Neal said in a way which didn't inspire confidence.

"You don't have a plan!" Mozzie hissed, suppressing trembles. Actually, Neal had a few and most of them required he have a gun or distraction.

"I've got your back," Zondra said over the comm.

And that was all the warning Neal got before there was a crash from above and she came dropping down on a bungee cord, brandishing an automatic weapon and opening fire on the Russians.

Neal reacted, grabbing Peter's and Mozzie's arms and bolting out of the building. He ignored their protests and Peter's instance that they stop and call the police.

* * *

Neal felt three-inches tall. Considering who he was, past and present, it was a rare feeling.

He didn't like it.

Chuck's cautious, 'they found Mrs. Burke,' didn't inspire much reaction from him either. He had no idea how they had managed that and was feeling unbalanced and ignorant.

"Want to explain that back there?" Peter said with his hands on his hips, towering over Neal in his silent fury as police sirens sounded in the distance.

"Who called them?" Mozzie said in distaste. To him, they were arriving too late.

"They're the backup," Neal sighed, "and back there was something I'd really rather not repeat."

"At least this works in our favour," Mozzie said, "Keller has to wait until the police leave."

"Except they'll probably take the treasure in as evidence and arrest the Russian mob for it," Peter pointed out which explained a little of his behaviour to Neal. Peter was worried about what would happen to El.

"Elizabeth is safe," Neal said, drained. He didn't expect the shocked looks Peter and Mozzie sent him to hurt as much as they did.

Maybe this 'making people hate him' thing wasn't a smart idea. But, it had kept Chuck from getting too close to him and kept the other man from getting caught in any crossfires involving Bryce. And with the day's events, it was probably time to start using it on Peter.

"How do you know that?" Peter said. His phone started ringing partway through his question but he waited for a few silent moments, where Neal could respond but didn't, before answering.

It was Jones and the other agent stated in an elated and relieved tone that they had found Elizabeth and that she was fine.

Even Mozzie was eyeing Neal nervously as they hurried towards the FBI building.

* * *

Elizabeth had been surprised at the knock on the door. She had been surprised when it wasn't Keller but a young woman with long dark hair and eyes who walked in.

"You're not supposed to be here!"

The strange woman glared him down, standing tall like she owned the place. It was enough to make Keller's hired guard stand down.

"Elizabeth Burke?" the strange woman asked her. When El nodded, she pulled out a gun and shot Keller's guard through the knee.

"What-!" El gasped in horror.

Another woman came bursting through the door, no doubt alerted by the gun shot. This one had long, wavy light brown hair which almost appeared dark orange in the light of the room. She was also holding a gun at the ready and standing ready for a fight.

"You shot him?" she questioned of the dark-haired woman, who nodded. "Nice." She turned to El and held out a hand. "We're the rescue team."

El decided to trust them and found herself handed over to the FBI and sitting in the White Collar offices within the hour. With two very annoyed women sitting to either side of her.

"Let me leave!" Jill, the dark-haired one, said. "Look, I helped rescue your missing person. Doesn't that make me a good guy?"

Carina, the lighter-haired one, snorted a laugh, her light eyes dancing in amusement.

"And why were you able to find her?" Jones asked. The FBI had managed to track down the area they thought the kidnappers had taken El, due to cherry blossoms left at the Burke's place when she was taken, but they were searching by foot with no idea which of many buildings she was hidden away in.

"Not very trusting, are you?" Carina questioned with a smirk, like she knew something they didn't.

"Considering who we work with, no." Jones didn't feel like elaborating and he didn't let Jill leave.

"So, how do you fit into this?" Carina asked Jill. When Jill didn't respond, she continued, "you slept with Chuck, didn't you?"

There was a spluttering over the comms which only Carina could hear.

"What's it to you?" Jill snapped back.

"You and Larkin," Carina shook her head. "You get too attached to the people you sleep with." She ignored the number of shocked FBI faces which turned to look at her.

Jill's face turned a furious shade of red and she clammed up. She sat there silently with her arms crossed, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and a pair of glasses she had pulled out when the FBI caught up with them.

And she stayed that way until Peter walked into the office with Mozzie and Neal behind him.

* * *

Peter called out El's name and wrapped her in a hug, happy to hold his wife again. He took in the smell of her shampoo and the warmth of her body and the feeling of her breath.

She was alive. He repeated it until the previous twelve hours felt more like a nightmare than reality. Of course, while he did this, he also paid attention to the other meeting going on.

"Jill," Neal said flatly, a bit of bite behind his words. The agents didn't miss the way Carina sat up straighter, like the show she had been waiting for had arrived.

"Bryce," Jill greeted haughtily, "or is it Neal now?"

"Does it matter?" Neal questioned. "You went and burned Neal Caffrey." The flat tone of his voice was sending shivers down the spines of everyone around. They weren't used to hearing a lack of emotion in Neal's voice.

However, it struck a familiar tone with Peter. It took him a little to realise what it was.

"It was an accident!" Jill insisted.

Neal snorted in disbelief.

"How do you sell out the identity of someone  _by accident_?" he sneered.

Peter's eyes widened as he realised that Neal sounded similar to when he had confronted Fowler.

Neal was  _furious_. It was a calm fury he had never seen but fury nonetheless.

"What did Keller promise you?"

"It's not like that!" Jill insisted. While on the run, she had met up with Keller who was also on the run. One night they were drinking and chatting and she told him about Bryce and Chuck and Stanford and how she regretted leaving Chuck, even though her 'bosses' wanted it. Keller had said that Bryce sounded like someone he knew and showed her a picture of Neal. She thoughtlessly agreed that they looked alike without realising what it meant.

And then she heard that Neal had a treasure and well, what was Bryce planning to do with a treasure? It would have been better in her hands, since she was technically on the run.

"So, he promised you the treasure in return for information about me?" Neal theorised.

"Part of it," Jill said, knowing that this made her look guilty. "But I didn't know about the kidnapping until after, when Chuck posted the call for help."

"How do you two know each other?" El asked curiously.

Neither of them was willing to answer that question. Neal turned away from Jill and was going to storm off but Peter moved to stand in front of him. He had a feeling that Neal was about to run.

"Who's Bryce Larkin?" he asked. He knew that he had the pieces in front of him to answer that question but, he didn't understand what it all meant. There were numerous possibilities and he still couldn't get over how Neal had lied for months about the treasure.

Even if Mozzie did admit to being the mastermind.

"Come on, Neal," Peter insisted with hands no hips and a glare. "Keller's already said that he believes it's your real name. But, I didn't come across it at all while investigating you, even though the name obviously means something to you." He just needed to push a little more; if Neal trusted him then he would tell him.

"You should tell him." Peter was close enough and the room was silent enough to allow him to hear the voice ring in Neal's ear. He started a little and then reached out. His hand brushed against an earpiece in his ear, which he pulled out.

"Hey!" Neal protested.

"What is this?" Peter asked. He glanced back at his wife and saw the interested look in her face. He had married a strong woman, one who could be more interested in solving the secrets surrounding one of their friends than worrying over the aftermath of her own kidnapping.

"It looks like an earbud," El explained, "you know, like the kind reporters wear while on TV?"

Peter gave Neal a cursory glance and then placed the earpiece in his ear.

"Do you think he's listening?" A female voice.

"Wait... now." A male voice. "Uh, hi, Agent Burke. My name's Chuck but that probably doesn't mean much to you. Um... I'm Bryce's friend. Bryce's phone is currently connected to us so, if you're standing close enough we can hear you as well."

"So, I can ask you questions?" Peter asked, feeling a little silly. It wasn't the first time he had used technology like this but it always felt off. He preferred face-to-face communication or a good old fashioned letter.

"You can."

Peter glanced over at Neal and wondered what to ask. He didn't miss the frantic panic hidden in his blue eyes or the betrayed look which passed across his face.

"Neal and Bryce are the same person, correct?"

"Yes." Confirmation. Peter thought carefully before responding.

"Then that's all I need to know." He could get whatever information he wanted about Bryce through the FBI or from the man himself. It would be up to Neal which method he used.

Surprise and confusion flickered across Neal's face. Even Jill was staring at him with wide eyes and Peter wondered just why she considered this to be a big deal.

"Okay," Chuck said.

"Hm, I don't know whether you're smart or foolish," Zondra commented, "but I'm starting to understand why Bryce is willing to risk everything for you."

"And who are you?"

"Zondra."

"I'm Carina." The woman standing next to El said, reaching up and drawing attention to the earpiece in her ear by tugging on it. "Zondra and I were contracted to assist the FBI in getting your wife back."

"You're part of this too?" Peter questioned.

"Contracted?" Diana mouthed to Jones. Peter noticed and wondered what that meant.

"I asked them to help," Neal admitted. Then he changed his mind a moment later, adding, "actually, I asked Chuck to help. They kind of came with the package."

"Harsh, Larkin," Carina commented, although she didn't look the least bit hurt by his words.

"Can I ask what's so special about Chuck?" Peter asked. The line in his ear was silent.

"He's a company man," Neal explained with a shrug.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Peter might seem a little too accepting about this but, he plans to research it when he gets time and he already had his suspicions. He does seem accepting of some of the stuff Neal does in the show, even though he's putting Jones and Diana on research duty and analysing (and over-analysing) everything.
> 
> Mozzie will feature in the next part. Oh, and I haven't really looked over and edited this so it might feel off in places.

 

**Part 3**

* * *

A hush fell over the FBI agents gathered in the bullpen at Neal's words. No… just, no. Those that understood the hidden implications behind his words refused to believe that Neal knew what he was implying, it was just a phrase after all.

Jill and Carina were surprised as well, since Bryce was known to die before revealing 'the big secret'.

"'A company man'," Peter responded sceptically.

"I'm also involved in private security," Chuck said. The sound of his voice through the earpiece caused Peter to jump.

"I hate these things," Peter grumbled, reaching up to take the earpiece out. Neal laughed.

"He can still hear you, you know?" he pointed out. Peter glared at him and that was enough to make him close his mouth. He had already made enough of a mess and if Peter wanted to stay mad at him, then he could.

And even though El was back safe, Keller was still out there. Neal, Carina and Jill were all sent up to the Conference room to talk with Hughes about the events of the previous twenty-four hours. As much as Hughes wanted to grill Neal about the treasure, Peter had already told him about what happened and how the police were likely going to place blame on the Russian mob.

Hughes thought that it was better they get them off the streets than Neal but knew that Peter didn't see it that way. All Peter saw was Neal possibly getting off for his part in stealing the treasure.

But he wouldn't.

"Alright, Caffrey. You're on house arrest until we can sort this mess out," Hughes said, his tone leaving no room for discussion. "Also, in order to minimise resources, those women you contracted will be staying with you."

Neal's eyes bulged and a look of horror overtook his features for a moment. Before he could say anything, Hughes added, "Jones will take you back. Now get out of my sight."

* * *

El was shaken up. On the way home, she was able to relax while listening to Peter tell her about everything that happened while she had been in Keller's clutches but, when she looked up at her home, she couldn't help a shiver of fear.

"If I didn't know Neal, no, it would be just like Neal to work with some kind of law enforcement. He made a deal with me after all, who's to say he didn't do something like it before?"

El thought that was very believable and would explain some of Neal's actions in the past. She had thought it strange that he just turned up on their doorstep shortly after making his deal with Peter. Why would a convicted criminal seem so comfortable turning up at the house of an FBI agent? But, he had smiled at her and explained that he knew who the Dutchman was and she let him in, just as she would any other of Peter's work colleagues.

After a while, the visits and the oddities were just Neal and she had thought it was part of what made him a good conman.

She stepped into the kitchen and she felt the ghost of hands behind her. As she had walked through the house, she had been careful to keep a wall behind her to abate the feeling of danger. But, now that she was back in the kitchen, she couldn't help recalling the moment Keller's goon grabbed her from behind. For a moment, it felt like hands had once again reached out from behind her and covered her mouth.

She jumped forwards and wrapped her arms around Peter's arm.

"El?" he questioned, his forehead wrinkling in concern.

"I don't think I can stay here," she said, "not tonight."

Peter gave her a curious look, trying to be supportive but she could see the flash of anger behind his eyes. She wondered if it was towards Neal or Keller. Or maybe even Mozzie.

After a moment, he nodded.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked, his tone of voice telling her that he would take her anywhere if it would make her feel better.

She was slightly tempted to say Hawaii, she had always wanted to see Hawaii and loved the idea of sun and sand, but she didn't. She didn't want to put Peter through the planning and stress that would cause him.

"How about we go to June's?" she suggested. "I still haven't thanked Jill and Carina for saving me."

She had expected Peter to question her suggestion, after all, Neal was there. However, he said 'okay' and there was a twitch of a smile on his features.

El smiled back and dashed into the kitchen. Fear washed over her but she wasn't going to let it stop her from grabbing a hostess gift for June. It was a bottle of fine wine, a leftover from one of her events.

She grabbed it and then left the kitchen behind her, relaxing as she stepped outside with Peter by her side. While she wouldn't get any sleep in that house tonight, she would return.

* * *

Zondra smiled at June as the lovely older, rounder woman guided her up to Neal's apartment. She opened the door.

"So it is true," she smirked, applauding the FBI's ignorance. Bryce, Carina and Jill all in the same room, the van outside stopping them from killing each other. Or at least, killing each other loudly.

"Zondra," Carina greeted her with a smile. They had come a long way thanks to Chuck's interference and the discovery of the mole in their old team; the CAT squad.

"Yes," Neal commented, "Carina and Jill got caught by the FBI."

"And locked down at your apartment."

Neal gave her the stink-eye.

"Yes." He wasn't happy about it. "What's Chuck say?"

"That everything would be better if you let your FBI handler," Chuck had used the word 'friend', "know that you're not really a conman."

"It's all one big con, Zondra," Neal responded.

"Cute, Bryce," Jill commented in a drawl tone.

"Thought you'd agree, after all, you're the real criminal in this room."

"I turned over a new leaf."

"And that's why you were after a stolen Nazi treasure?"

"You try living when the government has you on the most wanted list!" Jill retorted.

"I did," Neal responded, "for a few months out of every year, in order to keep the Neal Caffrey cover alive."

"That's the FBI! The CIA is worse!"

"I also had the marshals, Interpol and a number of other organisations after me."

"But not the CIA."

"Maybe you should have served your sentence instead of conning Chuck into letting you go."

"Maybe you should have served your sentence instead of breaking out for some asset, who died anyway, and then conning an FBI agent into letting you out."

"She was my girlfriend, not an asset!"

"Like I was your girlfriend?"

They were oblivious to Zondra's and Carina's intense and entertained glares.

"I had to keep you away from Chuck and keep Chuck away from me." Chuck had been the kind of person who like to avoid conflict and people he hated back then.

"Wow. That's real romantic, Bryce."

"Please, like you weren't using our relationship to ditch Chuck too."

"And so kind," Jill added, referring to his tone and the way he was speaking about Chuck.

Even though they were both trained spies, they managed to miss the running footsteps outside until the door banged open.

"Neal, that's not nice!" El said as she walked in. Neal blinked in surprise, he had not been expecting to see her. He actually expected Peter to keep Neal away from his wife for the rest of his four years. But, Peter came in right behind her and was watching from the wall next to the door.

"Elizabeth? What are you doing here?" he questioned.

El smiled and waved the question off.

"So, Jill. What was Neal like back when you were in a relationship?"

"It was before Kate, right?" Peter questioned. Neal shot him a glare; any chance to learn something new about 'Neal Caffrey'.

"It was," Jill said, "actually, if rumours are true, then Bryce-slash-Neal wasn't dating Kate until after you arrested him."

Peter looked to Neal for confirmation of this and Neal nodded.

"We did flirt and do other things but it was mostly a staged relationship for Mozzie's benefit than anything else. And then we kind of started dating later."

"Because Sarah dumped you for Chuck," Carina pointed out in a helpful tone.

"I had a feeling Sarah would like Chuck," Neal sighed. "She valued honesty, even though she didn't believe it existed."

Peter's face was continually sporting an 'explain' glare which wasn't going away.

"Tell me a story," he said, sitting down next to Neal with El taking the seat next to him. "A story which will help me understand: this." He waved his hand at the people in the room.

"I'm going to need a lot more wine," Neal commented, reaching out to pour himself a glass.

"I could start," Jill said with a smirk in Neal's direction. "See, Neal and I meet at Stanford where he was better known as Bryce..."

* * *

Neal took over telling the story because Jill wasn't telling it right. He was not a scheming man who was jealous of his roommate's successes and set out to destroy him. He had been trying to protect Chuck from becoming a tool in the CIA belt. And then later gave Chuck some leverage over the CIA and the means of finding out about his parents.

"I did not ruin Chuck's life," he felt he needed to point out.

"Yeah, he got the girl and the fame, well as much fame as a spy can get, and the 'normal life' while you're living undercover as a guy with a dead girlfriend and a history of stealing along with being a tool in the FBI belt and have a two-mile radius."

Neal glared at Jill. Her summary was not needed.

"I like working at the FBI," he pointed out.

"Can't see why," Zondra commented, "they don't let you have a gun."

She was met with an angry glare from both Neal and Peter. El also gave her a disapproving frown.

"Okay, I'm out of here," she said, throwing her hands into the air and walking out the door. Unlike Jill and Carina, she wasn't on house arrest and the FBI weren't expecting her to be the next morning.

"Lucky," Carina commented to Zondra's retreating back. There was silence for a few moments, until El spoke up;

"So, a spy? Somehow that suits you."

"A government sanctioned conman," Peter smirked.

"Thank you, Peter." His voice was thick with sarcasm. "Actually I didn't realise that until Burke's Seven." Neal had been shocked to realise that the description fit his true occupation; a 'con' was just another word for 'sting' and 'sting' was another word for 'mission' depending on the context. He didn't think about his life as a CIA agent often, so the realisation had been slow. Plus it was the kind of realisation which took Neal's mindset, not Bryce's.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Bryce had changed in the past few years. Parts of his personality which had been suppressed ever since he joined the FBI had resurfaces, something Chuck liked to remind him whenever he called his old friend.

* * *

The night went on and El, Carina and Jill all set up inside while Peter and Neal gravitated outside. It was outside where Peter dropped the pretence of calm acceptance he had been keeping for El's sake and bombarded Neal with all the questions he could think off, determined to get answers.

Neal really should have gotten him to sign non-disclosure agreements but, he knew that Peter was a man of his word and he had promised not to repeat anything within reason. Needless to say, Neal did not tell him about the number of people he had shot on duty or orders.

Instead he told him about how 'Neal Caffrey' had come about; the result of an over-eager agent who had been determined to throw himself into work after hurting his friend. Bryce just happened to be the right age for a mission in New York, the CIA had noticed that Adler liked to hire young workers. He had been perfect, even though no one had expected the mission to go on for so long. Even with Adler out of the way, the treasure he had uncovered had just caused more problems. The CIA had put him on monitoring; read 'babysitting', duty until a decision could be reached about what to do with the treasure Mozzie had taken.

But, it wasn't high priority and if Mozzie decided to sell it, well, he was a criminal and the CIA didn't have anything to do with the crime. And it would have been good for Neal Caffrey's cover. Any con or crime Mozzie pulled was good for Neal Caffrey's cover.

Peter noticed the way Neal's face seemed to pinch as he explained this. The way his eyes seemed to gaze into the distance as if he didn't really know what decision to make even now that it was out of his hands. Peter recognised the look of a man torn between duty and self-interest. Bryce had been happy being Neal Caffrey, the FBI's criminal CI but the treasure and loss of Peter's trust and tainted that and he had felt powerless to fix it.

"By the way, Zondra's taking care of Keller," Neal said at one point when Peter had fallen into thoughtful silence. "Jill gave her a list of his hangouts."

Peter didn't even try to hide his sigh of relief.

* * *

With all the information Neal had shared that night, Peter found it hard to keep blaming Neal for El's kidnapping. After all, he had been a victim of circumstance.

Mostly, Peter couldn't place the blame on the CIA for letting one of their agents sit on a stolen Nazi treasure. He could look into the law because it didn't sound right to him but he couldn't blame them.

He let Neal know that they would be okay with a simple question.

"No, Peter! I do not have a secret spy base here!" Neal said, affronted by the suggestion. Peter gave him the 'I know you're not telling me everything look' because he knew and somewhere in his gut the 'Caffrey detector' was going off.


	4. Part 4

**Part 4**

* * *

Mozzie was the most well-connected crook in all of New York. Everyone knew him and not even the rumours that Neal was working with the Feds could touch him. After all, Mozzie was well known for his rants and lectures about 'Feds and the Man'; he even hosted seminars on the subject three times a year.

Not everyone liked Mozzie and there were quite a few people who owed him some payback but they were in the minority. Mozzie had been around long enough to have rapport with most of the big players and favours owed all around.

Neal once told Peter; 'I don't think you rely on rumour as much as he does'.

How true.

Ever since Keller's escape, Mozzie had been collecting up locations which Keller was likely to use as hide-a-ways. He had heard about a new guy moving into one and walked into the apartment to find a frustrated Keller, packing a bag.

"Keller," he greeted with a frown.

"Mozzie," Keller responded with a smirk like they were friends. It was always that attitude that annoyed Mozzie. There was no point in putting up such a front when it was obvious that the other party did not like you. Unless you were trying to trap them; Mozzie immediately put up his guard.

"Want to explain what you were trying to do?" he asked. He waved his hand absent-mindedly in the air, indicating El's kidnapping and selling Neal out to the Russians.

"Pay off a few debts," Keller responded. He frowned at Mozzie, in a 'don't you get it?' way. "The Russians and Bryce. Caffrey lied to me, to us, for years. The least I could do was help the Russians track down the little government agent."

Did he have to use the treasure then? Mozzie felt like asking. He didn't though. He was more interested in the other information.

"Government agent?" he queried.

"Caffrey's real name is Bryce Larkin. He's a Fed, a CIA agent. Neal was a cover, he never existed."

And yet, Neal wore the anklet and worked for the FBI in a place where everyone thought he was a criminal. Mozzie knew that Peter didn't know, the Suit had been in the same position as him. Neal lied, cheated and stole; Mozzie had been witness to that many times.

Neal didn't know it but, Mozzie's real name was Teddy Winters. Mozzie didn't use it but he kept it active, just in case.

Did Mozzie exist? Mozzie would say 'yes'. It would hypocritical of him to say the opposite of Neal. Not after the deal with the FBI forced the young (conman? agent? spy?) man to stay.

'I run and New York is just a memory for me,' Neal had said. At the time, Mozzie just thought he was being melodramatic, after all, they could have bought their way back into the city after a few years. But, what if it had meant something more? What if it meant that Neal Caffrey would have vanished, giving way to a someone Mozzie didn't know.

"What do you know?" he asked Keller, his voice dropping to a low demanding tone.

Keller smirked.

"Bryce Larkin, CIA agent. He had a cover as a banker which was blown when he 'died'. But, obviously, he's still alive, isn't he? He must have taken his old cover as Neal to hide from his enemies. Cute, huh? He probably thought it would work. My source told me he used to be one of the best, a force to be reckoned with. An agent of the Man who did whatever he needed to in order to cover up the government's secrets. The very secrets you've been trying to uncover; conspiracies, you call them?"

Mozzie's hand clenched into a fist at Keller's cocky tone. He was talking down to him and they both knew it.

"So, what do you think? How many times do you think Neal has thrown you off the scent? Kept you from discovering that something big you used to talk about?" Keller didn't get any more words out as a fist crashed into his nose. He cursed and stumbled back as his eyes watered and an angry Mozzie glared at him.

That was the point where angry Mozzie would have left and added Keller to his enemies list but another voice rang out.

"Nice right hook," the feminine voice said as a woman walked in through the front door. Her dark tan skin and long brown hair made her look more like a model than a spy, except for the small silver gun in her hand.

* * *

Zondra liked this little friend of Bryce's. He didn't jump or act surprised when she walked in, just turned and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Are you here to perpetuate the lie that is my best friend?" he asked. Little guy, big words, Zondra was impressed.

"I'm sure Larkin considers you a friend, he's sappy like that," she responded.

Mozzie raised an eyebrow, like he didn't believe her.

"Look, if you really want to know, I could give you an address. Bryce's old college buddy lives there." And that's her vagueness limit for the day. "I'll take 'care' of Keller."

Mozzie thought about it for a moment. It wasn't like he couldn't check the place out in case it was a trap. And the way he toned her last sentence earned her a little respect in his eyes. Although he wondered what she would do to Keller.

Who was he kidding? It was a chance to blow the lid off this whole conspiracy surrounding Neal Caffrey, he was going to take it.

Zondra scribbled the Bartowski's address onto a slip of paper and passed it to Mozzie. Mozzie vanished moments later.

Once she handed Keller to the FBI and gave Chuck a heads up surrounding the likely visitor in the next few days, she figured she could finally lay back and enjoy New York.

* * *

Mozzie performed surveillance on the house, the spy hideout. It looked like a regular house and the inhabitants looked like regular people. To the untrained eye.

It was quite obvious that a guy who went to work in a Nerd Herd outfit; he had looked into the origins of the man's work clothes, couldn't bag a woman who looked like she belonged on the catwalk.

The Nerd Herd budget wouldn't have been able to pay for that house and the blond didn't appear to have a job, beyond vanishing at certain times of the day. He followed her and it appeared that she went to the Buy More.

He knew it! The Buy More was really a CIA headquarter. Or at least, that was his new theory.

He went in once and tried to purchase something. The first staff member who approached him did so on a dare, in order to get fifty bucks, he had to go up to a customer and ask for a signature.

Needless to say, Mozzie refused.

"Fine! Be that way." And the staff member left.

Mozzie also noted that one of the older staff members tried to smell him as he passed. It was weird but the spy he had been watching guided the man away with an apologetic smile towards him.

Two more staff members were having a lightsaber fight in the Home Entertainment area and another one was flicking through the channels on the wall of TVs.

The only competent people appeared to be the large ex-military selling barbecues and the spy he was following. There was a tall skinny guy whose name-tag said he was 'Skip' who was nice but not bright.

By the end of his trip he didn't think the Buy More was CIA headquarters. Maybe it was something more like a base for the agent who worked there?

Mozzie wondered if making a base at a Buy More was a good idea. He could create an identity which worked there and maybe, just maybe, use it if he was desperate. Seriously desperate.

"See, the moon landing could have been faked." Mozzie paused and snuck a look between the shelves. In the next aisle, the spy was chatting to the manager, a man with a fuzzy beard and short dark hair spiked at the front.

"Really, Morgan? You have access to that and you use it to search for the moon landing?"

"To end the debate once and for all! Once and for. All!"

Mozzie approved. Somehow that led to him sitting in a spy base underneath the Buy More.

* * *

"I cannot comment on the existence of these 'black helicopters' you seem to have a problem with... Mozzie." General Beckman grouched through the screen. Her lips were pressed into a fine line and the wrinkles of age on her face were visible.

Mozzie wanted to argue the point but sensed he would get anywhere with this woman. Besides, Morgan the Manager seemed interested in his theories and willing to work the long con on the General to get real answers.

Sarah was already mapping out how to apologise to the General for what will probably be a trying few weeks until they could get Morgan out of the conspiracy theory kick he was on.

"Agent Larkin seems to believe that Mozzie has the potential to be a good analyst for the CIA and at the very least, his team."

"Not really a team," Casey muttered under his breath.

"You are to give him a brief summary of Agent Larkin's exploits and relationships to your team in order to help him understand why we sent Larkin out to commit crimes." With that said, the screen went dark.

Casey grumbled in annoyance. This was the worst mission ever to him, even worse than babysitting the fledging Intersect had been.

Chuck started with describing what he knew about Bryce from Stanford and how they were friends. Mozzie approved of Bryce's decision to get Chuck kicked out in order to protect him from being recruited to the CIA.

He stopped Sarah when she mentioned that they dated. He looked her up and down.

"I don't need to hear about his love life. I get enough of that drama back in New York," he said.

Casey started with 'so, I shot him and he lived.' Mozzie was not impressed and Sarah took over to tell the story of Bryce stealing the Intersect. Once again, Mozzie approved. It also answered the question of why Neal had wanted him to get the schematics of a certain building a few years back. Mozzie had said that he didn't like the building, that it gave off 'dangerous-vibes' and he was right, plus there was no use for those plans while he was in prison.

Neal insisted that it was important and that he would be okay, he was in prison as Mozzie pointed out.

As Mozzie learnt now, Neal had not been in prison.

Mozzie decided to learn more. He spent three days with the spies, learning their ways.

* * *

On the first day, he learnt that Chuck didn't let Sarah take guns into any of the bedrooms. Mozzie found the gun hidden in a secret compartment underneath the chair cushion in the guest room and sparked an interesting argument.

* * *

On the second day, he learnt that spy work was not always guns and information and action. He spent the time following Casey around the Buy More because he was bored. And that was it, he was bored. There wasn't anything really happening; no bad guys to stop or evil plots to create or foil.

Casey, Morgan and Chuck were stuck here. One on the orders from their government and two because they couldn't really bring themselves to leave. Chuck was the secret owner and Morgan never wanted for anything more.

Mozzie considered himself lucky that he could go wherever he wanted. Neal's wanderlust made so much more sense when Mozzie considered that his friend could have ended up stuck here.

At least in New York, Neal had a two-mile radius and his coworkers, Mozzie shuddered at the word, were partway-intelligent.

* * *

On the third day, Mozzie went with them on a mission. They insisted he stay in the car and that's when things went sideways.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Notes: I think this is all the story I can get out this one (which is more story that I originally planned)... if there's something you feel I missed feel free to comment on it (but please remember your manners). Also feel free to comment if there's something you liked.
> 
> I know I didn't work Jill in as much as I could of. Her role would have been big if this had remained a one-shot. I'll probably work her into a future fic but we'll see.

 

**Part 5**

* * *

It was a slow day in the White Collar office. Ever since Neal revealed to Peter, Diana, Jones and El that he 'used' to be a CIA agent, the office had been quiet. Neal had toned down the 'always-smiling conman' act and had been a little more subdued than normal. The rest of the office blamed it on stress caused from El's kidnapping, they knew that Neal was close to the Burkes, and his little friend's disappearance which they had overheard Diana and Jones gossiping about.

Keller had been found and arrested only a few hours after they rescued El. He confessed to stealing the treasure to pay off his debts and handing it over the Russians, who were also in custody.

Everything seemed back to normal, except Mozzie hadn't been seen since then. Zondra had told Neal that Mozzie just needed to sort things out and that he didn't blame Neal for lying to him but, on some level, Neal didn't believe her. Spies lied, it was part of the job. They said what people needed to hear in order to do what they needed them to do.

And Neal couldn't see Mozzie being friends with a lying Fed, a lying spy-Fed.

"What?" Heads snapped up as Neal barked into his phone. "You left him in the car?" Neal swore into the phone, attracting Jones' attention. Jones felt a little sorry for whomever was on the other end, he had never heard Neal so serious before. "It's not safe in the car! I don't care that you know that! I have a two-mile radius, I can't go to Burbank just to help you find him!" There was a pause and Neal's face fell, a bit of sadness breaking through. "Yes, I know he's my friend. Chuck, even if I leave my radius, I won't make it in time. It's up to you guys." Another pause. "Huh? Well, yeah. I guess I could do that." Neal stood up and started moving quickly towards the conference room. Jones gave Diana a glance and pointed his thumb at Neal. She quickly stood up to follow.

Peter joined them in the conference room moments after they entered.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You won't tell Moz about this, will you?" Neal said into the phone as he pulled up the conference room screen and started typing. He brought up a map and the gathered audience were glad to see that he was displaying it for them.

"California?" Diana questioned with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Jones figured it out first, although he spouted it like he thought it was a crazy theory.

"You have a tracker on the little guy?"

Neal gave him a sheepish smile in response.

"Don't tell Moz."

"Suddenly, I'm thinking you and Peter have a lot in common," Diana said, earning a glare from both of them.

"It's a small tracker, practically invisible," because he had sown it into the lining of Mozzie's clothes along with a few sets of lock-picks, "not a bulky, flashing anklet."

"Cute. Unfortunately, the FBI is not going to be installing tracking chips into their CIs anytime soon," Peter countered.

"So, what happened?" Diana asked as the program tried to pinpoint the signal.

"Mozzie got kidnapped while hanging around on a CIA mission."

Jones and Diana both thought that sounded familiar, after all, Neal and Peter had both managed to get kidnapped but they didn't think it was the right time to voice a comment like that.

"So, you're going to track him down?" Neal nodded in response to Peter's question, right as the program provided them with an address.

"9000 Burbank Boulevard," Neal recited. He turned back to the phone. "Chuck, why is the signal coming from the Buy More?"

"The Buy More?" Peter could just hear the response on the other end. "No idea. Heading there now."

"You wouldn't happen to have a tracker on this 'Chuck' guy, would you?"

"Nope," Neal responded instantly.

"I think you should be asking if he has any trackers on us," Jones pointed out to Peter.

The three FBI agents stared at the unflinching CIA agent-slash-FBI CI. Neal smirked.

"Now that I can neither confirm nor deny." He paused for a moment and then added, "I don't have one on El, although I'm thinking about it."

"'Thinking about it'," Peter repeated. While he didn't like the idea of spying on his wife, wouldn't it be handy to track her the way they could track Neal?

"She wouldn't appreciate it," Diana informed them both before they could start making any plans.

Neal started listening to his phone as Chuck narrated what was going on. Once again, three FBI agents stared at him, this time with dirty looks. It took him longer than it should have to realise that they wanted to listen too. Neal hit the loudspeaker option.

"-he fed them some story about a great weapon being hidden here. Hey, how'd he know about all the people who disappeared around here?"

"It's Mozzie," Peter responded instead of Neal. He had stopped asking that question long ago.

"The CIA does some questionable stuff," Jones commented with a frown. It was slightly disapproving but also requesting more information.

"Yeah," Neal agreed with a sigh. "But, Mozzie will be fine."

"We won't let anything happen to him!" Chuck confirmed. Then there was the sound of gunshots on the other end that caused all four hearts listening in to stop.

"Chuck!" Sarah's voice called out and there was scrabbling sounds.

"I have to say, you guys do rescues worse than the FBI," Mozzie's critical voice sounded to everyone's relief. "At least they don't go in sounding the guns."

"We didn't!" Chuck responded, aware that the FBI was listening in. "Excuse me." There were the sounds of movement and then grunts combined with the sounds of flesh hitting flesh.

"Okay, the FBI can't do that," Mozzie said, sounding impressed. "How does he do that?"

"Have Bryce explain it to you," Sarah responded.

"He'd have to come back to New York for that," Neal commented loudly, seeing the looks he was getting. They wanted to know too, even though they didn't know what Chuck did.

Neal realised something and started typing away, hacking into the Buy More security feed. At least Chuck hadn't locked Bryce out of the system after he 'died'.

The Buy More security feed popped up and they could see Sarah and Mozzie hiding behind a display of video game cases and Chuck standing in the middle of three knocked out men. Casey was standing next to a blown out wide-screen TV and looking disappointed.

His voice sounded over the phone line a moment later;

"Idiots."

"That was a good idea though," Sarah said, turning to Chuck. "Using the TVs as a distraction."

"Morgan swears by the Master Remote," Chuck explained, "says whomever has the remote has the power."

"Please don't put any ideas in Mozzie's head," Neal sighed, "that's not how the Buy More works."

"Because you would know," Chuck responded sarcastically, with Casey of all people nodding in agreement.

"I know it takes more than a remote," Neal responded.

"Neal, really? Have you seen this place?" Mozzie questioned in a sceptical tone which turned excited as he added, "it's amazing! A study in breaking out of the limitations of 'the Man'!"

"The Buy More?" Neal questioned in a drawl tone.

"Careful Neal, your Suit is showing," Mozzie responded, causing Neal to flinch slightly. If the people in the room didn't know him as well as they did, they wouldn't have caught it. "Don't condemn this place until you've been."

"I've been," Neal responded, "it was Black Friday."

"Oh, the day of the 'Pineapple'," Chuck translated into Buy-Morian.

"Let's not bring that up again," Sarah said as Bryce had shot Chuck that day. Sure, the latter was wearing a vest but she still didn't like it.

"Anyway, Mozzie will be back soon," Chuck said, "we're just going to have a gaming weekend and then we'll return him. Hey, why haven't you introduced Moz to the magic of a gaming weekend?"

"Because I don't have any video games in my apartment. They're all in my private safehouse which I haven't taken anyone to. Also, we have had a 'Tiles of Fire' marathon before-"

"If you say it's like the same thing, I will go there myself and correct you," Chuck said.

"I was going to say that it's more Mozzie's thing to watch rather than participate."

"Then, he can watch me and Morgan kick butt!"

Neal's eyes narrowed. Morgan got to go too? He felt like this was unfair.

"Anyway, I'll catch up with you later," Chuck said and then muttered under his voice, but close enough that the phone caught it anyway, "besides, I'm sure you're watching us anyway."

Neal quickly closed the feed to the cameras.

"Bye," he responded, ending the call. He then sunk into his seat and sighed.

"Well, that was," Jones struggled for a word, "interesting?"

"You play video games, Caffrey?" Diana questioned with a cheeky smile on her face. "Like the little guy who jumps on turtles."

"Mario," Neal corrected, even though she probably knew that. "And I would have described it as the other guy who sported the Peter-stashe." That got a laugh out of them, except Peter.

* * *

Monday came and went. Mozzie didn't turn up until late Monday night, when Neal was about to give up the wait and go to bed. He walked in without knocking and went straight for the wine rack.

"You know, those friends of yours are nice but they have no taste in wine," he commented as if he hadn't vanished after finding out his close friend was a spy.

"Chuck likes Chardonnay wine."

"Chardonnay's no Pinot," Mozzie responded with a snort. Neal gave him a fond smirk.

"I like Chardonnay," he said.

"And suddenly, it's like we don't know each other," Mozzie responded in a good-natured way. Neal paused at the meaning underlying the words. Mozzie uncorked an expensive bottle of wine and poured two glasses. "So, Chuck said you'd explain," he said, sliding a glass to Neal.

Neal didn't hesitate to pick it up. And when he dropped into Peter's car the next day, happy but exhausted, Peter smiled and realised that Mozzie was back.


End file.
